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Use your doctor's referral as a starting point. Your primary care physician may recommend a surgeon that he or she has chosen many times for this surgery. There's a good chance he or she knows the doctor or that they're buddies. "She's excellent," your doctor may affirm, and in fact, this physician may be an excellent surgeon.

But you can't just fly on that alone, especially if the surgery is a highly complex one. Your smart-patient detective job is to find out if this is the most excellent surgeon you can choose for this particular operation. Ask your doctor for a few names, and investigate each.

Also, aside from asking your regular doctor to point you to the maestro of this surgery, doing Internet research can help you locate a hyper-specialized surgeon. You just have to hope that one works at your hospital, or you might be planning a road trip.

A good way to find a highly specialized surgeon is to look in medical studies.

It is often difficult to reach a doctor for a phone call. They are often busy with other patients and you may end up talking with an office nurse. More and more doctors are responding to patient e-mails. However, doctors do not get compensated for phone calls and e-mails and that is often why they prefer to see you in person. Also, your appearance can tell a good deal about your health status that is not discernable in a phone call or e-mail. Accurate diagnoses are better made in-person than by phone or Internet.